


House on the Lake

by hanapondesu



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Intrigue, Long Distance Relationship, More characters and tags to come, Romance, Sort of anyway, based on a movie, letters to a lover, mild mystery, somewhat slow burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-10-28 03:25:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10822746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hanapondesu/pseuds/hanapondesu
Summary: Based on the movie The Lake House:In his desire to re-kindle his love for the arts and find some peace within himself, he somehow found her. The woman whom he'd never met, and likely never could. Within the letters was something more tangible and real than anything around him, something he felt far more connected to than his current life. What could he classify it as, though? Fantasy? A far off dream? He wonders just how long this could last.





	House on the Lake

"Remind me why you bought a remote house on a lake?" came the voice on the phone as Solas closed his truck cabin door.

"I believe the quiet and scenery will help to inspire. After all, this was the dilemma we've been discussing lately, was it not?" he replied, stepping through the gravel to the trucks' bed gate, pressing the latch to lay it flat. Thank goodness all his belongings had held up in the back; that would be one less thing to worry about.

"Please, there is plenty to inspire in Orlais! We could have set you up handsomely here. You'd pass that up? I thought you a smarter man." replied the silken voice of his long-standing employer, Madame de Fer. She had been the foremost art collector within Orlais, always buying, selling, and renting pieces to display at the numerous Orlesian government soiree's and events she hosted.

"While I would have gladly accepted your offer prior, I believe this is best suited for me. It was near happenstance I came upon the owner. He sold it to me for what I believe was hardly a quarter of it's value." 

"Imagine, a man having trouble selling a house made entirely of glass!" Vivenne laughed with taught amusement. Solas could almost hear her smile through the phone. "For a man as private as you, I'd never have guessed you buying the least private house I've ever heard of."

"Yes, imagine that." Solas said dryly. She had a point, but something about the house drew him to it. It was radiant, and so modern, yet strangely made him nostalgic, despite having never known the home. The large maple tree growing within the center called to him the most. It must have spent many years filling the space, and felt so natural. With all the light it could possibly want unobstructed by walls or ceilings, he had no doubts that it didn't take long for it to grow so sturdy and strong.

"Alright, well, let me know if the inspiration hits, and if there's anything I can do to assist you. Take care in moving in today."

"I shall, thank you. A good day to you, Madame."

"And to you." she finished before hearing the click of the line going silent. A long, drawn sigh released from Solas's nose, the warm breath mingling and turning white in the cold air. Despite the date being mid April, it was still cold outside, which the mild frost on the greenery hinted at with a glance. Turning to face the home, he took in it's beauty. It's clear glass and gentle forest green metal pillars pronounced among the backdrop of the earthy tones behind it. The surface of the lake below glimmered with the reflections of the trees, just barely sprouting it's new leaves for spring. 

He continued to soak in the sights and smells, closing his eyes for a brief moment before resigning to unloading. After all, the day was still young, and he had all his possessions to bring inside. It was almost pitiful that he was doing this alone, yet he had none to blame but himself for his solace.

By the time the sky bore only red, he'd finished, simply tired and wishing to rest. Who knew that back breaking work could wear out an already weary man. Walking back to the house with one last box on his hip, he paused at the mailbox, only just finally noticing the flag raised in alert. A letter? With a fluid motion, he retrieved the letter and closed the box, traipsing back across the deck to the front of the house. It bore no name or address on the envelope, which was discernibly odd, but not suspicious enough to NOT open it. Plopping the box atop the kitchen island, he opened the letter, reading the contents.

_"Dear new tenant,_

_Welcome to your new home. I'm sure you'll love the air and the lake as much as I did. I've put a change of address in with the post office, but we all know how often that works. At the bottom of this letter, I've left my new address, I'd appreciate it if you'd forward anything that might come through here._

_Also, as a note, since I have no idea if the landlord has said anything to you about it, but the paw prints on the porch leading to the front door were there when I moved in. The box in the attic, as well. Thanks in advance._

_Liadain"_

Alright, he'd retract his opinion of the letter not seeming suspicious now, if he could.

"What could they mean...?" he pondered, eyebrows furrowed. Solas knew for a definite fact that this house had been unoccupied for many years. He'd bought the house for such a low sum specifically because no one had wanted to even live here in the first place. The owner couldn't have been happier to be rid of the property, despite the style of it. Another peculiar tidbit was the 'landlord' business. There was no landlord for the home, the owner before having let it sit abandoned, and he himself was now the new owner. He raised a hand to scratch at his neck, rather stumped about it. Perhaps this was meant for the home down the road at the other side of the lake? That had to be it. Re-reading the letter, more inconsistencies struck at him, leaving him even more befuddled. This "Liadain" had to have absolutely meant the cottage down the other side of the lake. No matter. He could reply tomorrow. For now, the day had been long, and he needed rest.

\---

"So have you had more of those dreams lately?" asked Josephine, rifling through a stack of papers in her arms before plucking the one she sought and slapping it to the counter top.

"Josie, I thought we talked about NOT talking about them...?" Liadain sighed, shaking her head. "Honestly, we just spoke about it yesterday!"

"Oh come on now!" she griped, looking over to the lighter haired woman. "They must mean something! You're dreaming of that house even after you made peace with moving into the city!"

"I know... I know." was the elf's defeated response. It was true -- since moving into the heart of Orlais, she dearly missed that lake house. The dreams of it left no room for her to move on, either. She had accepted that moving closer to her passions, her art gallery, was the smarter choice. As the now newly appointed Director of Elvhen Art, she wanted to dedicate any and all her time to the gallery. Having brought Josephine along as her go-to government liaison, her friend had given her nothing but support in the endeavor and transition. The privately owned building housed the widest variety of Elvhen art from ancient to modern -- all having been started by the leader of her clan. The exhibitions held here once were a paltry half dozen of photographs and paintings by amateurs, that now after decades of painstaking work and care bloomed to be a true rare beauty of Orlais.

"What's it now, two, three months? All you've done is work my dear, why not take a break this weekend? It IS Friday after all." Josephine urged, placing her stack of papers down atop another desk. "Go see the house again, take a walk, breathe a little. Maybe take your camera, unwind a little....?" Liadain gave a half-hearted chuckle, releasing a long breath as she paused in front of the printer of her office, closing her eyes. The idea was all too tempting.

"Alright." she breathed, looking up to Josephine. "I'll go. I'll even have the cleaners come to finally give this place a good polish down. It's been nearly a year, after all."

"Excellent! Oh darling I know you need it. Who knows what kind of inspiration and fire you'll find out there? It could give you just enough energy to get going again! Maker knows you need it."

"You're right. I'll go, it'll be just what I need." she agreed.

\---

With the next day having come and fully underway, Liadan prepared for her voyage out of the city, back to the lake house. Josie had said when she first left that it seemed she'd left a part of her heart behind at that glass-made house, and Liadain had denied it then. Perhaps there was some truth to it now, though. Just the idea of seeing it once again, and feeling the cool lake breeze blow against her face sent sparks of excitement shooting through her. Grabbing her coat and bag, she turned to her trusty mabari, patting her thighs.

"Come on, Jackie! Let's go!" she urged, the dog leaping up from her bed and scurrying to Liadain at her call, her whole body shaking and wiggling in excitement at the prospect of going out.

Within two hours, Liadain and Jackie pulled up to the gravel driveway of the lake house, turning the key in the ignition to let her car go silent, allowing the dirt to settle around the vehicle. It took mere moments for the natural sounds of the lake to cascade in through the open windows, the birds singing and wind humming gently, the faintest sounds of water lapping the shore below the house.

"We're back, girl." she murmured gently, Jackie unable to resist the urge to wiggle close to Liadain and nuzzle her in her jubilance. The elf gave an affectionate rub and shake of her mabari's head before releasing her to dismount her car. "Time to get some fresh air!" she then exclaimed in excitement, hopping out, her dog in tow behind, a satisfying crunch of gravel beneath her paws.

It was such a welcome sight, a welcome sound of the water, the trees rustling, as though whispering secrets to her. She turned her gaze to the house itself, finally basking in its glow as it reflected the sunlight warmly, as though happy to see her too. Just a few months was far too long she decided mentally, pulling her camera from her bag. It still lay empty, the furniture that had come with the home visibly still covered in white sheets. The quiet hum of nature added to the tranquility of the sight, the breeze affecting everything around it but the one piece of nature contained within. It reminded one of an enclosure at a museum, for looking rather than interacting with. A little piece of the view closed off to all who would approach. Taking several steps forward, Liadain found the familiar paw prints on the entry deck leading to the door. Nostalgia creeped into her mind as she remembered viewing the house for the first time and balking at them. Now, it was just an added charm to the home.

Crouching low, she got onto her knees and elbows, pulling her camera up to her view to capture the paw prints. If her goal today was to bask in everything she loved about this place, then this was just another feature that had come to charm her by the time of her departure.

In an effort for just the right angle at which she could hyper focus on the prints, while still including the edge of the deck and water below, she shimmied to the side, scooting ever more until finding just the right spot, snapping several shots in a row. 'Perfect.' she thought to herself, rising to stand. Before she could finish however, her head clanged square into the mailbox, causing the entire post to wobble and Liadain to shout and clutch her head in shock. Jackie, from a distance, heard her owners cry and barked after her, running to her side and assessing her condition.

"Fenedhis!" she finally swore, crawling out from under the mailbox and finally standing upright, rubbing her head. "Can't believe I didn't pay attention to the damn post box..." she grumbled, looking over to see she'd knocked the door open in her blunder. Continuing to soothe her head for a moment, she then reached out to close the door when she noticed a letter within. It wasn't the same envelope she'd left behind, was it? The flag was still up, so it had to be. Reaching for it, she pulled it out just to make sure it'd remained intact in the months she was gone. She flipped the letter over in her fingers, only to realize it wasn't sealed the same as she had left it.

"Hadn't I closed it completely...?" she mused, pulling the flap out from where it was tucked inside. It was obviously a new envelope, not having been torn open in any manner before. Withdrawing the letter, she then noticed the unfamiliar handwriting, and it dawned on her that it had to be a reply to hers she'd left behind. Who would have replied, though, when no one was living in the house?

_"Greetings to you, Liadain._

_Hopefully this finds you well. I've informed my postal worker to leave this for you, should you ever come to check for mail. I would be inclined to agree with you that the post is not always accurate when it comes to delivering mail. I will be sure to forward any mail to you from here on, and anything that does not make it through, I shall keep for you to collect._

_On another note, I found your letter also curious, as no one has lived in this house for many years. I believe you had possibly meant the home down the lake, and if that's the case, I can make the arrangements to have your mail left there, if you so choose._

_If you have any other questions or needs, feel free to leave a note in the mailbox. I thank you for leaving the initial letter about your mail."_

"What are they talking about?" Liadain's brow furrowed as she re-read the letter again, making sure she'd understood it correctly. They had to be wrong, she'd just moved out nearly three months ago. Upon further inspection, she then noticed a date at the top of the letter. Convenient, seems they'd only just left the letter there a few days ago. Scanning back to the contents, she paused and did a double take, checking the date once again.

"Oh for the love of--" she griped, heaving another sigh. That was it. This required another reply. What kind of coot could this person have been to reply to a letter of an unoccupied house, anyway?

\---

_"Dear new Tenant,_

_I'm well aware of the cottage on the other side of the lake, it's owned by a rather wealthy Ferelden family. Forgive me if I do not believe that they'd openly allow an elf woman to live with them. Let's try this once again, shall we?_

_I used to live here at the lake house, and I moved out near the beginning of the year. I'm leaving this letter so you can forward any mail to me, though it looks like no one has lived here since, so I have no idea who you'd possibly be if you're replying to this. Regardless, my new address will be on the bottom._

_By the way, its the seventeenth year of the twentieth age, not the fifteenth. Might want to update that calendar of yours."_

\---

"The seventeenth?" Solas read aloud, almost laughing at how preposterous the statement was. He glanced to the television where the news played on in the background, clearly showing the date and time as it should be and was. "Thirteenth of the fourth month, of year fifteen in the twentieth age." he read from the screen, his eyes narrowing as he looked to the letter again. "What on earth is she talking about?"

**Author's Note:**

> I have a burning love for this film, and I sincerely hope to finish this one day. If you're able to enjoy this story even a little, I'd be happy with that.
> 
> Fenedhis: a common elvhen curse word. (credit: Project Elvhen. A great thanks to one of my favorite writes geekyjez for mentioning it in their credits, thus introducing me to it. What a useful tool!


End file.
